Former President Donald Trump met with Sean O'Brien, president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, on Wednesday, as the Republican front-runner makes progress in his efforts to win over traditional Democratic voting blocs. suggested that.
O'Brien met behind closed doors with the former president to discuss “serious issues” to improve the lives of workers in the country as Trump continues his 2024 presidential campaign. The move to meet with President Trump is noteworthy given the historic ties between labor unions and the Democratic Party, but President Joe Biden is seeking to strengthen that relationship, and on the eve of the 2020 election said he had “not seen anything like it before”. He will be the most pro-union president ever.” ” (Related: 'It's political for him': White House claims Biden will visit East Palestine, but residents are still waiting)
“It makes sense that Sean O'Brien and union leaders would want to meet with President Trump, because he had a lot of support from union and non-union blue-collar workers in the last two elections.” said Austin Bannan, an American employment policy researcher. For prosperity, he told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “This is an opportunity to appease some workers from an optical standpoint, and perhaps also an opportunity to gain a little insight into how President Trump is appealing to union members. You may be able to incorporate pages into your own tactics with union members.”
playing cards turned over In the 2016 election, he came close to winning the typically blue states Michigan and Wisconsin, and came very close to winning Minnesota, both of which had large union membership numbers. As of 2022, approximately 14% and 14.2% of workers in Michigan and Minnesota are unionized, while 7.1% of workers in Wisconsin are unionized. according to to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Unions have been favorable to presidents in the past, with the AFL-CIO, which represents 12.5 million workers, voting for Biden in the 2024 election in June. according to Announcement from the group. The announcement praised him as “the most pro-union president of our lifetime.”
O'Brien, Trump discuss Teamster issues ahead of class and individuals roundtable
Teamsters General President Sean M. O'Brien met privately with President Donald Trump on Wednesday and had a thorough and productive discussion on the worker issues most important to the Teamsters union.
— Teamsters (@Teamsters) January 4, 2024
Under the Biden administration, labor union activity has recently increased since mid-2023, with some calling this the “summer of strikes.” The Writers Guild of America, the actors union SAG-AFTRA, and the United Auto Workers union went on strike in 2023, but the Teamsters barely reached an agreement just days before contract negotiations.
Biden has taken a number of actions to appeal to union members, including creating a task force in April 2021 to study ways to increase union membership. The president has also campaigned aggressively at union-related events, taking the unprecedented step of inviting striking UAW workers to join picket lines during a labor dispute in September.
In July 2023, President Trump released a video attacking Biden's environmental policies, saying that friction between labor unions and the president over the transition to electric vehicles could affect union jobs. He called on the UAW to support Biden's campaign. President Trump also chose to skip the first Republican presidential debate in September, instead holding a rally in Detroit, Michigan, where he sought to speak with local striking autoworkers. did.
“President Trump's economic policies may have some overlap with union leaders' interests and policies, such as domestic energy production and manufacturing goals, but for me this meeting is a sign that union leaders will inevitably agree with President Biden's policies. “He is concerned with appeasing union members before taking sides and directing their resources to the union's interests.'' Bannan told DCNF.
The White House and the Teamsters did not immediately respond to requests for comment from DCNF.
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